Anthropic Engineer Dan Fein: Claude Projects Cloud Sessions Can Now Connect to User-Approved Folders on Their Computers
Dan Fein from Anthropic announced that Claude Projects' cloud sessions can now connect to a folder approved by the user on their computer. The sessions continue to run in the cloud, accessing the local folder only when needed to read and modify files at their original location. This feature began rolling out on October 5.
This does not mean moving the entire project to the cloud or changing the sessions to local processes. The cloud threads remain unchanged, and the local folder is accessed only when specifically called upon. Changes to files are written back to the original path on the user's computer without needing to upload and then download a version of the results.
On September 17, Anthropic transformed Projects to be conversation-centered and included it in the public beta of Claude Code. At that time, each thread was a cloud-based Claude Code session running on its own branch and repository copy. The blog stated that threads running in the cloud would quickly catch up when running on the user's computer, local tools, and networks. The current release allows cloud sessions to access local folders on demand.
Fein mentioned on September 30 that some tasks require the user's computer, allowing users to connect folders in the Claude desktop application first, followed by Claude popping up a card requesting permission. This path allows a single thread to run locally while other threads remain in the cloud. The current update allows cloud sessions to reach into approved folders themselves, rather than moving the entire session down.
The public beta of Projects is initially available to some Claude Pro and Max users using cloud sessions, and accounts cannot have existing web or desktop projects. In the following week, it will expand to more Claude Code users in these tiers, with full access for Team and Enterprise users coming later. Unactivated Pro and Max users can join a waiting list. Fein also provided a broader registration entry point.
The buyers are subscription users wanting to connect cloud projects to local code and documents, while the seller, Anthropic, is enabling local file access as a session capability. This is a phased product rollout, not a new model. Files do not need to leave their original directory, saving users from manual synchronization, while Claude retains the project. Cloud projects still require full uploads, and programming agents can only operate in local sandboxes, which adds pressure to the back-and-forth transfer step.
If the same folder is modified by two threads simultaneously, official documentation has indicated that they will overwrite each other. Repositories can choose worktrees to provide separate working areas for threads. Local threads also require the computer to be awake and Remote Control to be enabled.
Source: Public Information
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Before September 17, Claude Projects resembled a folder. After the revision, each thread became an independent Claude Code cloud session, creating its own branches, running tests, and submitting pull requests, with a coordinator managing the merge order. The blog at that time indicated that "running on your machine" was the next step, and the folder access on October 5 is the realization of this path, not a temporary plugin.
Anthropic did not upload the entire repository as a cloud copy. Sessions remain in the cloud, reading the user-approved directory only when tasks require it, with changes written back to the original files. This separates billing for cloud computing power and local private code: inference still counts against subscription limits, while the file itself remains on the user's disk. Pro and Max users get access first, with Team and Enterprise following, effectively using personal high-tier validation permission cards before accessing company directories.
The path is similar to Cursor placing agents in local workspaces and approaches OpenAI Codex's sandbox restrictions on writable directories. The difference is that Claude keeps the main session in the cloud, exposing only an approved folder locally. Microsoft moves environments to the cloud with GitHub Codespaces, while this is the reverse, with cloud agents probing back to the user's computer as needed. The industry is transitioning from chat windows to ongoing projects; whoever can avoid an upload step is closer to daily engineering tasks.
Essentially, this is a restructuring of the industry chain. Previously, cloud models needed to interact with local code through uploads, copies, and downloads. The approved folder consolidates this step into permissions, with the cloud responsible for inference and threads, while the local side handles original files and internal network tools. The control point shifts from file transfer to whether the user clicks allow and whether two threads will write to the same directory.
ABAB News · Cognitive Laws
No need to move files, agents will stay.
Cloud runs tasks, local retains originals.
Once the permission card is opened, uploads depreciate.